This week’s topic: Books I’d Slay a Lion to Get Early Only Not Really Because Lions Are Awesome

1. Save the Date, by Morgan Matson, out June 5Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

NEW MORGAN MATSON! NEW MORGAN MATSON! I am so crazy excited for this one. There was a sneak peak at the end of The Unexpected Everything in the paperback edition, and it got me super pumped to read the whole thing. THANK GOD this releases next month.

2. The Evolution of Claire, by Tess Sharpe, out June 26Discover the beginnings of one of Jurassic World ‘s most beloved characters–Claire Dearing–in this original action-packed young adult novel.

During the events of Jurassic World, Claire Dearing faced the savage fury of dinosaurs unleashed . . . but it wasn’t the first time. In this entirely new coming-of-age story, Claire lands an elite internship working for Simon Masrani and soon discovers his plans to build an all-new theme park–Jurassic World! Along the way, Claire establishes valuable relationships with both her peers and the prehistoric creatures she studies, but when the situation turns dangerous, she begins to see the dinosaurs in a different light. Fans of Jurassic World will delight in filling in the gaps of Claire’s past, all while gaining insights into the experiences that transformed her into the strong woman we know today.

There’s not much info out about this one, but I found it clicking around Twitter one day and hi I love Jurassic Park and YA so I’m on board for this one.

3. Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel, by A.W. Jantha & Matt Griffin, out July 10
Hocus Pocus is beloved by Halloween enthusiasts all over the world. Diving once more into the world of witches, this electrifying two-part young adult novel, released on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1993 film, marks a new era of Hocus Pocus. Fans will be spellbound by a fresh retelling of the original film, followed by the all-new sequel that continues the story with the next generation of Salem teens.

Shortly after moving from California to Salem, Massachusetts, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches, the Sanderson sisters, from the afterlife. Max, his sister, and his new friends (human and otherwise) must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan and remaining on earth to torment Salem for all eternity.

Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don’t quite go as planned, it’s a race against time as Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches’ latest death-defying scheme.

4. The Darkest Legacy, by Alexandra Bracken, out July 31Don’t miss the hotly-anticipated new novel in the New York Times bestselling Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken, just in time for the major motion picture adaptation of The Darkest Minds, starring Amandla Stenberg and Mandy Moore! Told through the eyes of beloved character Zu, now seventeen, this harrowing, standalone story of resilience, resistance, and reckoning will thrill loyal fans and new readers alike.

This is one of my favorite series, and I’m due for a reread before this can’t-wait-for-it 4th book. Zu is 17! That means she made it to 17! If anyone else of the OG crew gets hurt this time, I’m going to lose it.

5. Sadie, by Courtney Summers, out September 4A gripping novel about the depth of a sister’s love; poised to be the next book you won’t be able to stop talking about.

A missing girl on a journey of revenge and a Serial-like podcast following the clues she’s left behind.

Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late.

Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.

If a book compares itself to the Serial podcast, I’m going to read it. Especially if Courtney Summers writes it. Trust that I WILL be on the hunt for that red hoodie this Saturday at Yallwest to try to snag an ARC. By the way, who else is going to Yallwest?? I need to meet up with some buddies there!

6. The Lady’s Guide To Petticoats and Piracy, by Mackenzie Lee, out October 2Felicity Montague is through with pretending she prefers society parties to books about bone setting—or that she’s not smarter than most people she knows, or that she cares about anything more than her dream of becoming a doctor.

A year after an accidentally whirlwind tour of Europe, which she spent evading highwaymen and pirates with her brother Monty, Felicity has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of Callum Doyle, a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh; and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect and passion will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the sole guardians of science.

But then a small window of hope opens. Doctor Alexander Platt, an eccentric physician that Felicity idolizes, is looking for research assistants, and Felicity is sure that someone as forward thinking as her hero would be willing to take her on. However, Platt is in Germany, preparing to wed Felicity’s estranged childhood friend Johanna. Not only is Felicity reluctant to opening old wounds, she also has no money to make the trip.

Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity’s way, so long as she’s allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid. In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl’s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that will lead her from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.

7. A Spark of Light, by Jodi Picoult, out October 2The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.

After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.

But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester disguised as a patient, who now stands in the cross hairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.

Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.

Jodi Picoult—one of the most fearless writers of our time—tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation . . . and, hopefully, understanding.

A rare appearance of adult fiction on this blog, but Jodi Picoult is my favorite adult writer and I look forward to a new book from her every year. They’re always thought-provoking, timely, controversial, full of conflict, and seriously amazing.

8. What If It’s Us, by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera, out October 9Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.

Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.

But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?

Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.

Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.

But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third?

What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?

What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play?

But what if it is?

I added this to my NEED THIS NOW list before I even read the description. Don’t need to. It’s Becky and Adam. It’s going to be an awesome collaboration.

9. Kingdom of Ash, by Sarah J. Maas, out October 23The Final installment to the Throne of Glass series.

Captured by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin is trapped inside an iron box in a secret location, with seemingly no hope for escape. As she endures months of torture, her friends scatter to different fates. Without Aelin to protect them, soldier Aedion and shapeshifter Lysandra need to defend their homeland at all costs. Also left to forge their own paths in order to change history are Chaol, the witch Manon, and the golden boy Dorian-while Aelin’s mate, the fae male Rowan, searches the world over for his lost love.

As Aelin gathers the strength to save herself and fight the ultimate battle of her life, all of their destinies hang in the balance. Some ties will bond even tighter together, others will be severed forever, and mysteries will be revealed in this action-packed, heart wrenching series finale.

Rounding out what’s going to be an insane October is the finale of Throne of Glass. PLEASE DO NOT LET ANY OF MY LOVELIES GET KILLED/MAIMED/MIND-CONTROLLED/LOCKED IN MORE IRON COFFINS k thanks Sarah. Throne of Glass was the first true fantasy I ever read (aside from Harry Potter, which feels different somehow?), and it’s completely responsible for making me fall in love with the genre. I adore each of these characters. They’ve been through so much, they’ve lost so much, and I just want to see them all be happy and whole and alive. Also, I’m dying to see what the cover looks like.

10. The Reckoning of Noah Shaw, by Michelle Hodkin, out November 13Noah Shaw confesses all in this second novel of a chilling new companion series to Michelle Hodkin’s New York Timesbestselling Mara Dyer trilogy!

Noah Shaw doesn’t think he needs his father’s inheritance.He does.

Noah believes there’s something off about the suicides in his visions.There is.

Noah is convinced that he still knows the real Mara Dyer.He does not.

Everyone thought the nightmare had ended with Mara Dyer’s memoirs, but it was only the beginning. As old skeletons are laid bare, alliances will be tested, hearts will be broken, and no one will be left unscarred.

Noah Shaw is one of my favorite book boyfriends. He’s controversial and hated by many readers, but I loooove him. I was so excited when Michelle started writing a follow-up trilogy to Mara Dyer, and super excited to hear it was from Noah’s point of view. The first book was just as incredible as I hoped it would be, and I can’t wait for this one.

That’s my top ten for this week! What books are you dying to get your hands on?

Well as you can tell from my post I looooooove me some Noah, so I really enjoyed being in his head. Mara seems to be going off the deep end, and it’s interesting to hear his perspective on it all. I really enjoyed it! That being said, the first book of the OG trilogy is still my fave.